When you begin thinking about growing herbs, there are a few important things that need to be considered as you make your outdoor herb garden preparation. First, you need to pick the spot you will use for your garden and prepare the soil to receive the herbs you will be planting. Then, you will want to know which plants to start when and how they should be placed.

The first step in outdoor herb garden preparation is location. When you are growing herbs, it is important that you locate the garden in an area where there is plenty of sun exposure. Many herbs need at least six hours of sun during the middle of the day. Depending on how your property is facing, you will want to be careful to choose a plot that is away from shadows produced by your house, fences, and even large trees.

The next step is to prepare the soil properly so that water can travel the full depth of the soil and disperse rather than pooling around the roots. Making sure that it is well-drained will help you judge when to add water. It is important that you use nutrient rich gardening soil to mix into the soil in your garden plot for a well balanced soil that has a reasonable amount of organic matter. Some people like to add sand and compost to the soil so that not only is it full of nutrients but it is light soil that allows for proper drainage.

Another tip for outdoor herb garden preparation is that is you are planning to grow your herbs from seeds, you may want to first plant them in flats or pots during the late winter and keep them indoors so you can get a head start on the growing season. Once the frost danger is past, you can transplant them into the garden. If you are simply sowing the seeds in the garden plot after the frost danger is gone, a general rule is to plant the seeds at a depth that is two times their diameter.

During the winter when you are planning your outdoor herb garden preparation, you will want to think about which herbs to plant and when to plant them. For instance, basil and mint are great to start in early spring, while such herbs as garlic and ginger are great for fall planting. Always do your research so that you can put plants that need similar soil conditions together and so that you plant them with the proper spacing between plants.